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Wilhuff Tarkin
Wilhuff Tarkin was a human male who faithfully served the Galactic Republic as both a commander and lieutenant governor and later the Galactic Empire as it's first Grand Moff. Born on Eriadu in 61 BBY to the powerful and militaristic Tarkin family, the ambitious Tarkin began his career by serving in the Republic Navy throughout the Clone Wars. He then retired and entered politics to become the lieutenant governor of Eriadu and the Seswenna sector, joining the New Order movement in the process. As Seswenna sector's governor, Tarkin received notice and gained increasing stature as a vocal supporter of Palpatine. Not long after the Declaration of a New Order, Cosimo Palpatine I appointed Tarkin as the first Moff. Tarkin soon formulated the Tarkin Doctrine, which helped solidify his reputation as the greatest architect of the Empire save Cosimo Palpatine II. The Tarkin Doctrine called for rule of the galaxy through fear of overwhelming force, and recommended the creation of superweapons to create terror of Imperial reprisal that would stifle any thoughts of rebellion. Delighted, the new Emperor made Tarkin the first Grand Moff, giving him control of nearly the entire Outer Rim and oversight over the construction of the Death Star. As Grand Moff, Tarkin ruled with the same unyielding ruthlessness he had helped enshrine in Imperial doctrine. Around 5 BBY Tarkin learned of his friend Raith Sienar's designs for the Expeditionary Battle Planetoid and, convinced of the potential of the design, presented Palpatine with the plans for what would become the Death Star. As the construction of the Death Star began, Tarkin created the secret Maw Installation to refine the design, placing it under the control of his mistress and protégée, Admiral Natasha Daala. With the aid of the Maw Installation's scientists, the Death Star was finally made operational in 0 BBY. Confident he could destroy the Rebel Alliance opposing the Empire, Tarkin began his campaign of fear by destroying the city of Aldera, a hotbed of Rebel sentiment. Tarkin then allowed prominent Rebel Princess Leia Organa, captive aboard the Death Star, to escape and lead the Death Star to the secret Rebel base on Yavin 4. There, seconds away from annihilating the Rebel headquarters, Tarkin died when Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star, a victim of his own belief in the Death Star's invincibility. Biography Early life Wilhuff Tarkin was born in 61 BBY on February 3 into the House of Tarkin, an old, wealthy, and powerful clan that had originally been granted the world of Eriadu and still remained dominant in the politics and business of Eriadu and the Seswenna sector, as well as carrying strong influence in galactic politics. He and his younger brother, Gideon, and younger sister, Shayla, grew up in a family steeped in tradition, prestige, and accomplishment in politics, science, the arts, as well as the military. Tarkin's older cousin was Ranulph Tarkin, Senator for the Seswenna sector and a leading militarist and after his death in the Stark Hyperspace War, a war hero. Though Tarkin took pride in his family's history of service to the Galactic Republic and accomplishments on Eriadu, he resented the lack of respect his Outer Rim-based clan received in comparison to the aristocratic families of the Core Worlds, fueling in him a burning ambition to excel. Ambition and ascent As a young man, Tarkin enrolled in a military academy, in accordance with the Tarkin family's strong military tradition. Driven to live up to every aspect of the family legacy, young Wilhuff Tarkin cultivated expertise in multiple fields, establishing a reputation as an intellectual prodigy with a well-rounded mind. He displayed great aptitude as a tactician in the course of his schooling, drafted starship designs that inspired the design of interdictor craft, broke new ground in xenobiology theory, and demonstrated great talent as a poet and philosopher. A keen analyst of the political situation, Tarkin perceived the Galactic Republic to be a decaying institution, and envisioned a new future for the galaxy. His vision was a militant one, authoritarian and Human-centrist, and he possessed a driving ambition to rise to the ranks of power, where he could effect change. After graduation, he and his brother Gideon joined the Republic Outland Regions Security Force, a military policing force that kept the Outland Regions, a Rim area that included Eriadu, safe from piracy. Tarkin was a fast riser who achieved the rank of commander, and during the course of his service visited Coruscant, capital of the galaxy, several times. There, around 40 BBY, he befriended Raith Sienar, heir to the Sienar Fleet Systems shipbuilding concern and an accomplished engineer who was near Tarkin's age. Clone War In 34 BBY, the Clone War broke out between the Republic and the secessionist government, the Alliance of Independent Systems. Eriadu was a major Republic stronghold during the war, a significant forward position surrounded by heavily armed sectors, and it was under Tarkin's command. Gideon Tarkin commanded the Republic's fleet in the area. Eriadu and Sullust were the region's key fortresses, but in the second year of the war, Sullust was taken in a surpise attack by the Mandalorians. Tarkin's brother commanded a major offensive directed to take back Sullust, losing but seizing much of the Sluis sector from the Mandalorians. As the war went along, Tarkin made a name for himself, though, not all was fighting, as he engaged in multiple negotiations on behalf of the Republic. Around ? BBY, Tarkin encountered Jedi Jard Dooku when he was assigned to guard a diplomatic envoy that included Dooku among its members. After negotiations had failed, the consular ship came under an attack, and during the fighting Tarkin was gravely wounded. Only timely action by Dooku saved him, after which Tarkin and Dooku became friends and associates. Still a young man, Commander Tarkin retired from the military at the conclusion of the war in order to seek a political career on Eriadu. With the aid of his family's political heft and numerous connections, Tarkin was elected the lieutenant governor of Eriadu and the Seswenna sector in early 32 BBY, dwelling in an elegant mansion on Eriadu City's bay. Tarkin gained a measure of notoriety in galactic political circles for his militant views, while on Eriadu he was known as a foe of the Eriaduan branch of House of Valorum. Though he was subordinate to the sector governor, Tarkin was an active force in Eriaduan life, taking a strong hand in political and economic affairs. A rising politician, Tarkin was acquainted with Senator Cosinga Palpatine, an influential member of the Galactic Senate, and newly elected President of the Republic. Gaining authority By 31 BBY, Tarkin was serving as the governor of Eriadu and the Seswenna sector. His brother, Brigadier Gideon Tarkin, served as his Minister of Security, while his sister Shayla Paige-Tarkin represented the sector in the Senate. Under Tarkin, the sector remained loyal to the Republic, even as the region became a hotspot of activity for the growing Rebellion movement. Tarkin had previously attempted to curry favor with multiple factions, but he saw a sea change in the political situation and moved to ally himself more closely with Palpatine's administration. Convinced to serve his agenda, Tarkin became connected to the secretive but emergent New Order movement quietly building in the government, which agreed with Tarkin's authoritarian, militaristic, and Humancentric beliefs. Over the next several months, Tarkin became known for his support of Palpatine and the intellectual argumentation in favor of the Chancellor's moves to consolidate power, and frequently advocated Palpatine's policies before the Galactic Senate, a venue in which he had great success. Tarkin had many friends within the Senate, as well as in the business realm, contacts that allowed him to further rise in influence. Near the end of his first year in office, Palpatine issued the Declaration of a New Order, converting the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor. Within the next few years, Tarkin left office and Emperor Palpatine reactivated Tarkin's commission and moved him to Coruscant, where he became a valuable agent of the New Order. Tarkin kept a small but prestigiously located apartment high in Prime Senate Spire. Tarkin's service earned him the right to wear robes of senatorial favor, a distinguishing honor that signified exceptional service to the Imperial Senate. One of Tarkin's assignments was to monitor the Jedi and work to prevent any increases in their power. In the course of his surveillance, he placed a droid programmed to spy in the halls of the Jedi Temple, which gave Tarkin the ability to eavesdrop on many sensitive private conversations. Not long after this, Palpatine implemented the Sector Governance Decree, which placed regional and planetary military governors in control of the Empire's systems. Tarkin, who had risen rapidly to prominence in the new Imperial government, was the first man appointed as a regional governor, given the title of Moff. Tarkin was among twenty elite Moffs given control of a Sector Army, one of the major divisions of the Imperial Army. These oversized territories, crossing normal sector boundaries, were referred to as oversectors. Tarkin's appointment drew attention, and he was profiled in a HoloNet News feature on the new system of Moffs. As the Empire established itself, Tarkin was a driving intellectual force behind the new regime, giving shape and vision to the Galactic Empire. He offered scholarly arguments that supported the philosophies Palpatine articulated in rousing speeches, and early in the Empire's day, Tarkin authored the key work Visions of the New Order, which quickly became a foundational text for the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order and its agencies Tarkin was also a key Imperial military leader, known for the brutal tactics he used to gain his victories. Moff Tarkin was among the highest-ranking personnel within the Empire, enjoying a rare exemption from security checks. Within a year of becoming a Moff, Tarkin was granted the first of the powerful new Imperator-class Star Destroyers, [[Executrix]], as his flagship. Tarkin, looking to find a new mother for his sons, sought out a wife. He married Thalassa Motti, of the influential Motti family of Phelarion, for her contacts and money. Tarkin had little love for his wife, who remained on Phelarion overseeing her family's megonite moss mines, but the Lady Tarkin was devoted to him and they remained married for the rest of his life. At one point, a re-emergent Nebula Front faction on Eriadu kidnapped Shella Motti, Tarkin's niece by marriage. Furious, Tarkin hired a group to rescue her. The situation was complicated when Motti refused to return, even hiring a bounty hunter of her own to counter Tarkin's agents. Crisis on Alderaan During his tenure as Moff, Tarkin came across a report that a probe had found an isolated stable pocket within the Maw black hole cluster. Suspecting that a secret safe spot within the notoriously dangerous cluster would prove a valuable asset, Tarkin erased the report before the data was passed beyond his desk. He then sent a surveying team that found other routes into the zone and confirmed that a base could be safely built within, then had the team killed to keep the area secret. Tarkin began considering uses for the location, but did not come up with any immediately. He made another acquisition when, at a fueling station on Ryloth which Tarkin was in the process of expanding into a major refueling depot for the Imperial Navy, he met Tol Sivron, an outcast former Twi'lek Clan Council member. Tarkin took Sivron into his service and found the Twi'lek a competent manager. Grand Moff Tarkin A few years after the ordeal on Alderaan, Tarkin proposed to the Emperor in a personal communique, means to ensure Imperial security as a culmination of military and political theories he had long been developing.''Imperial Sourcebook'', First Edition Frustrated by cross-sector criminal and rebellious activity and the problem of jurisdictional conflicts, he called for the retooling of the oversector concept, proposing that oversectors be tailored to control unstable galactic hotspots and be assigned greater forces than usual in an attempt to root out rebellious activity before it could take hold. Each oversector, capable of crossing sector boundaries, would be controlled by a single official who answered directly to Palpatine. The installation of HoloNet transceivers aboard all flagships within an oversector would provide enhanced communication. The philosophy of power with which Tarkin suggested unrest be fought was that of rule through fear of force, rather than direct exercise of force. Displays of power, most vitally through the use of terror-inspiring superweapons, would, Tarkin suggested, stifle dissent and rebellion. The presentation of a seemingly invincible weapon of ultimate power would play upon the fearfulness and awe of the citizenry to render all thought of assault against the Empire forgotten. It was therefore Tarkin's recommendation that the Empire invest strongly and continually in the innovation of ever more powerful weapons of warfare. According to this philosophy, once the Death Star was active, no one would dare act against the Empire. Terror at the prospect of planetary annihilation would ensure compliance and order. Palpatine chose to officially recognize Tarkin's proposal, which became known as the Tarkin Doctrine, and Tarkin's theory became a central tenet of Imperial policy. The Tarkin Doctrine so pleased Palpatine that he immediately had his close aide, Imperial Advisor Ars Dangor issue a response in his name conveying the Emperor's embrace of the Tarkin Doctrine. He answered only to Palpatine and was given authority over Oversector Outer, an expanded version of the Greater Seswenna sector that covered nearly the entire Outer Rim and some of the Mid Rim, the largest territory of any Imperial governor, and total control of the Death Star project. Pacifying the unruly Outer Rim Territories was considered among the most difficult assignments available in the Empire, but Tarkin was determined to tame the entire galaxy. Around the year 10 BBY, high taxes on Ghorman prompted a sit-in protest at the spaceport. Tarkin, sent to collect the taxes from the defiant population, refused to yield, and landed his ship atop the peaceful protesters. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured in Tarkin's display of the consequences for defying the Imperial government. Despite public outrage at the Ghorman Massacre—which convinced Senator Bail Organa to join Senator Mon Mothma in covertly plotting rebellion against the Empire—Palpatine declined to issue Tarkin any punishment; instead, he was soon promoted to the rank of Grand Moff, the position created for the officials in charge of oversectors. Not too long after his promotion, Tarkin learned of a promising tactician, whose advances had revolutionized Imperial doctrines, performing exceptionally under a pseudonym on the Caridan Imperial networks. Tarkin began investigating, spending months and requiring the services of two underground slicers to uncover the mystery tactician's identity. He discovered that this seeming genius was in fact Natasha Daala, a Carida graduate serving as a kitchen corporal. He journeyed to Carida to meet her, and found that Daala was sure she had been shunted aside because of her sex. Seeing in her a potentially great officer, and concerned that the Caridan administration intended to transfer her to meteorological station to further hide their embarrassment at overlooking her talent, rather than promote her, Tarkin assigned her to his personal staff. Smitten with Daala, he began an affair, finding with her the passion that his marriage to Thalassa Tarkin lacked. In addition to being Tarkin's mistress, Daala was also his protégée and he tutored her in tactics and strategy and guided her ascent through the ranks.Star Wars: Dark Apprentice Tarkin's relationship with Daala led to some rumors among subordinates that she had only obtained her rank by sleeping with the Grand Moff. Enraged when he overhead one young officer mutter a complaint to that effect, Tarkin had the lieutenant ejected in a spacesuit with a day's supply of air and piped his open comm over the intercom of his flagship so the entire crew were forced to listen as he raged, pleaded, and died. After that incident, Tarkin heard no further whispering. Personality and traits Wilhuff Tarkin was a determined man with an iron will and tremendous ambition, stoked in his youth by resentment at what he perceived to be a lack of respect for the accomplishments of his Outer Rim-based family. As a young man, Tarkin channeled his ambition into grand plans to bring about the grand, militant future that he believed would replace the Galactic Republic, which he perceived as a decaying institution on its way out. To achieve his goals, Tarkin had a strong sense of duty, putting his professional assignments ahead of his personal life and desires. Tarkin could display a charming and charismatic side when he wished, but would shift swiftly to ruthlessness when necessary. In either case, he projected a dominating personal presence, and was deeply persuasive, with an aura of command nearly unmatched in the Empire. Tarkin had a sense of his own dignity, refusing to show weakness, strong emotion, or inappropriate behavior before subordinates, from whom he demanded nothing short of excellence. Among the few feelings he displayed was impatience with subordinates who took up his time unnecessarily or were roundabout in their reports, as well as anger at failure and opposition. Though he presented a front of calmness and rational efficiency, Tarkin was exceedingly prideful, short-tempered, and capable of great spitefulness. Tarkin enjoyed authority, taking pleasure in causing fear in his subordinates and telling victims of Imperial attack that they were to blame for bringing Imperial retaliation upon themselves. Tarkin was quite self-confident, estimating his own chances of success highly and dismissing obstacles in his path. He gloated over his successes, even before achieving them. He did not like to take risks, but often considered his own position so strong as to limit the actual risk involved. His incredulity at the idea that Rebel starfighters could successfully destroy the Death Star ultimately caused his death. Even in his last moments, confronted with the fact that a successful proton torpedo strike would overload the reactor, Tarkin refused to accept that he could be defeated on the cusp of his climactic victory, that the superweapon on which he had so long labored could be brought low by a mere starfighter. For all his confidence, though, Tarkin was willing to listen to advice from trusted subordinates as he believed that a good officer should not dismiss suggestions out of hand, and he was willing to change his position when it proved necessary. Tarkin preferred brute force to elegance. He was authoritative and militaristic, and responded to most problems with an application of force. He saw extravagant punishment as a valuable object lesson, believing that a ruthless example would provide the only genuine deterrent to a determined opponent. In his notorious Tarkin Doctrine, he articulated a slightly more nuanced view, calling for the use not of direct force, but of the fear that force would be used in order to keep the population in line. He believed that the Death Star posed so great a threat that, once it was used and its power demonstrated, no one would dare rise against the Empire. Tarkin was a man of absolute ruthlessness. The lives of others meant little to Tarkin; he regarded the deaths of those in his service to be trivial, and was willing to lay entire planets to waste in order to simply make an example and to ensure stability for the Galactic Empire. To him, beings were just assets to be managed, and lives could be expended like any other resource, killing those who failed him. A Humancentrist throughout his life, Tarkin disliked most non-Human species and also did not care for the supernatural powers of the Jedi. Though he found it distasteful, he was not above using non-Humans when they were useful, so long as Humans were the ones in control. Even after playing a key role in formulating and articulating New Order ideology, with its emphasis on Human High Culture, Tarkin was not slavishly bound to it, and was willing to use nonhumans within the Imperial hierarchy when they proved useful. Though he had little qualms about killing most any being, the Grand Moff did not care for the eating of other beings. A vegetarian for the majority of his adulthood, Tarkin likened eating any being of any kind with a level of sentience as distasteful. With simple personal tastes, Tarkin was not an indulgent man. He surrounded himself in the trappings of luxury expected of his position, but took little pleasure in them, preferring more spartan, militaristic confines. Tarkin did enjoy mobility as he was uncomfortable with the idea of being confined to one planet, much less a smaller location. A man of tremendous intellectual power, Tarkin cultivated his mental abilities as a youth, demonstrating extensive ability in multiple disciplines. He was an accomplished philosopher and poet, and provided major developments in starship design and xenobiology. Tarkin also had vast knowledge in several other sciences, including biology and physiology. A polyglot, he commanded High Galactic, Bocce, Sullustese, Shyriiwook, and Dosh in addition to his native Galactic Basic Standard. Furthermore, Tarkin was adept in both the political and military fields. A master of high-level politics, he was also an outstanding commander in the field, an expert in grand strategy as well as fleet and siege tactics. His tactics were instrumental in the cultivation of Admiral Ackbar's military mind. Tarkin had great aptitude as an administrator. He was highly efficient and known for keeping careful track of resources and personnel, always recalling a potentially useful asset. As an administrator, Tarkin took pride in his military background, believing it important to occasionally remind his subordinates that he was in fact a man of practical experience who was still willing to work in the field. A skilled political jouster in addition to being a military man, Tarkin saw politics as a softer and more elegant form of warfare, but warfare nonetheless. He made good use of his domineering presence in diplomacy, preying on opponents' fears to force acquiescence. Deeply devoted to the Death Star project, Tarkin saw it as his personal dream and would not tolerate obstruction of the project, especially after the frustration of nearly twenty years of delays. Defiance of his will, or simple incompetence in carrying it out, enraged him. To him, the Death Star was like his own child, and he was awed by its power, passionate about its potential, and extremely proud of his accomplishment in building it. Tarkin had a variety of interests outside of career, including collecting and battling with model soldiers, of which he owned over five thousand. He also loved games, and, perhaps surprisingly, practical jokes. Tarkin enjoyed drawing and painting watercolor, the latter of which he did especially often in his later years. He also had a great interest in ornithology and wildlife in general. He suffered from nyctophobia from early in his life, but healed himself in his later years by forcing himself to take walks outside after midnight. Tarkin had a close working relationship with Emperor's, Cosimo I, of whom he had long been a major supporter, and his son Cosimo II. He was willing to speak frankly to both Emperors and unafraid to disagree with them. Tarkin was ambitious, self-confident, and of the opinion that, with the Death Star under his control, he would be the most powerful man in the galaxy. Sure that a move against the powerful and well-prepared Emperor would result only in failure, Tarkin had no real intention of overthrowing Cosimo II, though he dreamed of some day being in the position to fulfill his ambitions. Though Tarkin had a good working relationship with Darth Vader, whom he found efficient and considered an ally in the Imperial hierarchy, he was also unsettled by Vader's supernatural powers and mysterious nature, and disliked when Palpatine used Vader as a check on Tarkin himself. The pair respected but did not trust or personally like each other. Despite Vader's lofty position, Tarkin was among few Imperial officials willing to interrupt, stand up to, and direct Vader, behavior Vader tolerated."Star Wars: A New Hope" Personally cold, Tarkin was usually not a man for trust or friendship, believing them outmoded in the new order of things. He saw connection as a matter of alliance for mutual benefit and advantage to be exploited. After the death of his first wife, Julia, he was not much of a family man. He felt little love for his second wife, Thalassa, whom he had married mostly due to his children being motherless as well as political concerns. Tarkin was capable of some basic feelings of warmth as he held a sense of caring for family, especially his son's. Tarkin also maintained a long standing friendship with his Imperial colleague Jard Dooku. In addition, the Grand Moff saw his slave, Gial Ackbar, much like a pet. When in a mood to hold forth, Tarkin would offer instruction to Ackbar, and enjoyed explaining his own tactics to the slave. There was one other person, though, for whom Tarkin was capable of affection. Tarkin found Natasha Daala physically appealing, but it was her intellect, ambition, and ruthlessness that drew him to her. Though he did not consider her his equal, he could not be truly attracted to a woman who was not at least close to his level in intelligence and competence. In his affair with Daala, Tarkin found release from the stress of his position, seeing the admiral as an invigorating diversion from political concerns. He knew that she put her career ahead of her relationship with him, and it did not bother him; instead he considered it a sign of the driven, confident, and ruthless personality that attracted him. Relationships Romances Helena Tarkin The two met and fell in love when they were young, eventually marrying prior to the Clone War. Tarkin was fiercely dedicated to his wife Julia, to whom he was married for fifteen years until her death in c. 25 BBY. He, on at least one occasion, told close friends that he felt his life had ended when hers did, and from then on buried himself in his work. Thalassa Tarkin Natasha Daala Tarkin discovered Daala after learning of a mysterious individual who constantly beat all their opponents in simulated battles at Carida's Imperial Academy. After finding out that she was a woman, and being discriminated against because of it, he took her under his wing, and the two became lovers, despite the fact that he was married. With Daala, Tarkin found the passion that his marriage to Thalassa Tarkin lacked. She was also the only person who could make him laugh, a trait he valued. Tarkin later promoted her to admiral, and placed her in charge of the Maw Installation. Tarkin's relationship with Daala led to some rumors among subordinates that she had only obtained her rank by sleeping with the Grand Moff. Though he maintained a veneer of formality as her superior, their private interactions were far more casual than Tarkin's norm, and he allowed her to call him Wilhuff even in a professional setting, though before others they were always strictly formal. Tarkin allowed himself to be charmed by Daala, but he was able to resist her appeal and immediately shift to cold professionalism when circumstances demanded. After Daala learned of Tarkin's death at Yavin IV, she was stunned, and promised to avenge her former lover and mentor. Appearances *''Star Wars: A New Hope'' }} Notes and references Category:Males Category:Humans Category:Authors Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:House of Tarkin Category:Inhabitants of Eriadu Category:Grand Moffs of the Galactic Empire Category:Galactic Empire science and engineering personnel Category:Galactic Republic science and engineering personnel Category:Philosophers Category:Poets Category:Spies Category:Pilots Category:Galactic Republic bureaucrats Category:Order of the Canted Circle members Category:Artists Category:Healers and doctors Category:Imperial science and engineering personnel Category:Members of the New Order Party